Published: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, November 12, 2012 at 5:45 p.m.

A class of 26 officers graduated Friday with a better understanding of mental illness from a week-long course of crisis intervention training at Blue Ridge Community College.

For about 30 minutes, they lived with the distraction of hearing voices — constantly — while trying to solve problems and make decisions. They learned about the side effects of medication and what someone off their meds may look like.

Officers delved into the psychology of different cultures. And they played roles, practiced de-escalation tactics and studied the art of a one-two punch of crisis intervention training and verbal judo, both techniques aimed at calming a potentially volatile situation.

The idea for CIT sparked from a mentally ill individual who was shot and killed in a crisis situation with Memphis police in the 1980s, according to Elizabeth Burgess, training coordinator with Western Highlands, who taught the course.

"This was developed by the Memphis Police Department to help keep this from happening again. The whole point of CIT is to increase officer safety and to decrease negative outcomes for people with mental illness," she said. "If they need to go to the hospital or they need to be in treatment, you would rather that happen than them go to jail because treatment is sparse in jail."

Knowing who and where the agencies are that can help those with mental illnesses is a key tool in a crisis, said Hendersonville Police Sgt. Philip Hudson, who helped teach the course. "To me that's the most important thing about the class, in addition to teaching us how to de-escalate (a crisis)."

"You know the saying, ‘when you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras' and don't complicate the matter? Well, really, when we roll up on a call and hear ‘hoof beats' we need to think it could be anything. It could be zebras," he said.

Hendersonville Police Sgt. Van Whitmire, who's been in law enforcement six years, agreed that officers should expect anything. "A lot of people you encounter in law enforcement are having other issues. That's what this training is about. It's helping you recognize when someone is having a true law enforcement issue or if it's mental health that's causing an issue," he said.

Burgess reminded officers that there may be more than meets the eye. "This person may not be ignoring you. They may be hearing voices. They may have something else going on that you can't see," she said.

The training helps "prevent us from making snap judgments, to really investigate what's going on," said Hudson, who has been with the HPD 12 years.

Hudson took the course in 2011 when it was offered in Concord. For two years now, he has helped teach CIT at Blue Ridge Community College.

Although the training is still considered new in Western North Carolina, Hudson says the movement has grown in other departments across the country, some of which have specialized CIT officers dispatched in times of crisis.

Five Hendersonville police officers were enrolled in the class last week. Several others took the course last year. The department may soon have at least one trained in each squad, including dispatch.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness, with offices in Asheville and Hendersonville, has offered the course to local law enforcement agencies free of charge for the past three years.

"It's a commitment of time, but our time that we spend on it is absolutely worthwhile for the service that these officers provide to persons in need in our community," said Burgess, a clinical social worker for six years.

<p>A class of 26 officers graduated Friday with a better understanding of mental illness from a week-long course of crisis intervention training at Blue Ridge Community College.</p><p>For about 30 minutes, they lived with the distraction of hearing voices — constantly — while trying to solve problems and make decisions. They learned about the side effects of medication and what someone off their meds may look like. </p><p>Officers delved into the psychology of different cultures. And they played roles, practiced de-escalation tactics and studied the art of a one-two punch of crisis intervention training and verbal judo, both techniques aimed at calming a potentially volatile situation.</p><p>The idea for CIT sparked from a mentally ill individual who was shot and killed in a crisis situation with Memphis police in the 1980s, according to Elizabeth Burgess, training coordinator with Western Highlands, who taught the course.</p><p>"This was developed by the Memphis Police Department to help keep this from happening again. The whole point of CIT is to increase officer safety and to decrease negative outcomes for people with mental illness," she said. "If they need to go to the hospital or they need to be in treatment, you would rather that happen than them go to jail because treatment is sparse in jail."</p><p>Knowing who and where the agencies are that can help those with mental illnesses is a key tool in a crisis, said Hendersonville Police Sgt. Philip Hudson, who helped teach the course. "To me that's the most important thing about the class, in addition to teaching us how to de-escalate (a crisis)."</p><p>"You know the saying, 'when you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras' and don't complicate the matter? Well, really, when we roll up on a call and hear 'hoof beats' we need to think it could be anything. It could be zebras," he said. </p><p>Hendersonville Police Sgt. Van Whitmire, who's been in law enforcement six years, agreed that officers should expect anything. "A lot of people you encounter in law enforcement are having other issues. That's what this training is about. It's helping you recognize when someone is having a true law enforcement issue or if it's mental health that's causing an issue," he said.</p><p>Burgess reminded officers that there may be more than meets the eye. "This person may not be ignoring you. They may be hearing voices. They may have something else going on that you can't see," she said.</p><p>The training helps "prevent us from making snap judgments, to really investigate what's going on," said Hudson, who has been with the HPD 12 years. </p><p>Hudson took the course in 2011 when it was offered in Concord. For two years now, he has helped teach CIT at Blue Ridge Community College.</p><p>Although the training is still considered new in Western North Carolina, Hudson says the movement has grown in other departments across the country, some of which have specialized CIT officers dispatched in times of crisis.</p><p>Five Hendersonville police officers were enrolled in the class last week. Several others took the course last year. The department may soon have at least one trained in each squad, including dispatch.</p><p>The National Alliance on Mental Illness, with offices in Asheville and Hendersonville, has offered the course to local law enforcement agencies free of charge for the past three years.</p><p>"It's a commitment of time, but our time that we spend on it is absolutely worthwhile for the service that these officers provide to persons in need in our community," said Burgess, a clinical social worker for six years.</p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>